Page 186 of Primal Bonds

“Come.” Sindre held out a hand to Marjani.

Fane jerked up his head. “No,” he rasped as the king teleported her out of the room, followed immediately by Blaer. “You bloody bastard.”

The terms of the geas bound him to obey Sindre’s direct orders in return for his generous pay—he was a millionaire in the human world—but the king hadn’t thought to forbid Fane to follow. Probably figured he wouldn’t dare.

What could he do against two fae as powerful as Sindre and Blaer? But he couldn’t just return to his room without trying to help Marjani. He felt enough of a coward as it was.

Pushing himself upright, he staggered to the door and leaned against the jamb, lungs heaving.

Gods, he’d never hated himself so much as when he’d confessed to Marjani that he’d been spying on her.

That was the problem with a geas. You never knew when it would turn around and bite you in the arse. Back when he’d made the agreement with Sindre, it had seemed like a good idea. He was forty years old and his human mom had just died. He’d been making a living as a fisherman in Newfoundland. His dad had set him up with his own boat, and he had a crew of two, men he’d grown up with. But already his friends had started to comment on how Fane never seemed to age.

And he’d itched to see more of the world.

Then he’d discovered he had this Gift for moving fast…and disappearing. When he’d shown his dad, Arne had invited him to the ice fae court to meet Sindre, saying, “The king can always use another wayfarer.”

A fae king’s envoy? Fane had jumped at the chance. Hell, it was an opportunity most men would’ve killed for—and Fane felt a little as if he had.

Only the man he’d slain was himself. As the king’s envoy, he’d seen things that had made his blood curdle.

He’d never directly harmed someone, but no one would call him innocent. With each decade, a bit more of him died, until he was becoming as jaded as a pureblood.

But he’d be damned if he’d let Marjani get sucked into this world.

Think. He pressed a hand to his pounding head.

He couldn’t ignore a direct command from Sindre, but the king hadn’t ordered Fane not to help her. So he had to get her away from the king before he could invoke the geas.

The black-haired guard opened the door for Fane. A Portuguese river fada, he was under a geas, too, along with his Irish mate. The Irishwoman came up on Fane’s other side.

“Go after her,” she hissed. “Before it’s too late.”

Fane lurched into the hall and started toward the east tower.

There was no way he could use his Gift to race to Marjani. Even a slow walk was agony, each step spiking pain up his legs. He gritted his teeth and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

The maze was suddenly in a forgiving mood; or more likely, Sindre was too distracted to play his games. Instead of hindering Fane, the path led him straight to Blaer’s tower.

By the time he arrived, he was covered in a cold sweat. The three flights loomed before him like a steep mountain. He clutched the banister and started climbing. By the second landing, his heart felt like it was about to explode out of his chest. He halted to catch his breath, and then grimly continued up.

The thick oak door was shut tight. No chance of sneaking in.

The hell with it, then. He shoved it open.

Marjani stood between Sindre and Blaer, staring at the new fada. Fane’s stomach twisted. She looked so small and defenseless between the pair of tall, blond fae.

Blaer flicked him a speculative glance, but Sindre’s gaze was locked on Marjani, his lean face hungry. Like she was a special treat, one he intended to savor for long hours.

Nearby, the black wolf lay on its side, eyes closed and tongue hanging out of its mouth, panting softly. But Marjani only had eyes for the rangy earth fada crouched in the cage next to the black wolf’s. He was naked save for his quartz. Deep scratches and bites marred his teak skin—the poor bastard must have been caught by the goblins—and his face was bruised, his eyes swollen shut.

Marjani bit her lower lip. “Oh, Luc.”

At her voice, the man started. “Jani?”

“Yeah.”

He pulled himself up to his full height, glaring at Sindre and Blaer from beneath swollen lids before looking back at her. “You’re here.”

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